Lotus

Lotus flowers hold a special place in Eastern religion.  Found growing in the mud, these beautiful lilies represent both our groundedness here on earth and our longing for the divine.

This 30″x40″ painting was created with acrylics on canvas for a friend who loves yoga.  The colors were chosen to coordinate with the decor of her new home.

Textures in Turquoise and Rust

A love of fabrics, and quilting especially, has always rivaled my love for drawing and painting on smooth surfaces.  There’s something about how color comes across in fabrics and roughly textured surfaces  that gives it an extra richness and depth. 

Two colors I enjoy seeing together are turquoise and rust.  They seem to bring out the best in one another.  Above they’re seen in a weaving I created with strips cut from an acrylic painting which I’ve woven together with strips cut from handmade paper.  The subject is non-representational and simply attempts to reveal an interplay of colors and textures.

The quilt hanging at left makes use of the Chinese Coins pattern to once again juxtapose small areas of turquoise and rust.  Once again the subject doesn’t seek to represent anything specific, unless of course, you choose to see rods of Chinese coins on a black background.

Nova Scotia Bobcat

The colored pencil drawing of a Bobcat begun earlier this week is finally complete.  Earlier stages of the image can be found at http://drawingconclusions.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/bobcat/

Nova Scotia supposedly has the largest population of bobcats in North America.  They are Canada’s most common wildcat and keep the populations of small rodents and mammals such as Snowshoe Hares in check.  For photos of bobcat tracks, see my nature journal post  Bobcats in the Backyard.

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Bobcat

Here are different stages of one drawing of a Bobcat made with colored pencils. The first stage, shown above, was done on January 20th, and only reveals the Bobcat’s eyes.

The second stage, done on January 21st, shows more facial features.

The final drawing, completed January 24th, can be viewed at Nova Scotia Bobcat.

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The Baltic Wheel

Throughout the ages, various cultures have created labyrinths to provide users with the opportunity to reflect while in motion along a given path. Their design integrates the circle with the spiral, two of the earth’s oldest symbols.

Forms are numerous, with applications in a variety of sizes and materials (stones, sticks, plants, fabric) created for either indoor or outdoor use. 

Scandinavian in origin, the Baltic Wheel labyrinth provides two paths to the centre: a long and a short.

The above drawings are preliminary sketches for a labyrinth that is presently in the planning stage for the MacDonald Park in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia. The scarlet circles show possible placement of mosaic tiles. 

The hedge border will be Autumn Joy Sedum.

All that is necessary…

 

Mandalas

 

Hand-drawn with coloured pencils, each of the mandalas shown above incorporates a Maltese cross.  Maltese crosses traditionally have eight points, each representing a Christian virtue held sacred by the Knights of Saint John.

 The mandala at left was drawn with oil pastels on heavily textured paper.  It has more of an organic appearance due to the absence of straight lines and hard edges.

For more information about mandalas and how they are being used to promote world peace, see The Mandala Project.

To see some mandalas created with natural materials, see Autumn Mandalas  at Flandrum Hill, my online nature journal.

What is Essential

“What must I do, to tame you?” asked the little prince.

“You must be very patient,” replied the fox.

“First you will sit down at a little distance from me – like that – in the grass.  I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing.  Words are the source of misunderstandings.  But you will sit a little closer to me, every day…”

. . .

So the little prince tamed the fox.  And when the hour of his departure drew near –

“Ah,” said the fox, “I shall cry.”

“It is your own fault,” said the little prince. “I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you…”

“Yes, that is so,” said the fox.

“But now you are going to cry!” said the little prince.

“Yes, that is so,” said the fox.

“Then it has done you no good at all!”

“It has done me good,” said the fox, “because of the color of the wheat fields.”

. . .

“Goodbye,” said the fox. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint Exupery

That Silent Place

… deep inside, in that silent place where a child’s fears crouch…

~ Lillian Smith

This drawing was made with Tuscan red charcoal pencil on paper.

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Celtic Trinity Knot

I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.

~  Roy Croft

 

This image is very similar to one created earlier and posted as a Triquetra.  The design has been altered and colored to be used for a wedding invitation.  The quotation and colors were chosen by the couple who are looking forward to a Celtic celebration of their marriage later this summer.  Their wedding rings show a similar design.

The drawing was done in fine point black marker and enhanced with gold and silver colored pencils.

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